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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25657711">Up close and personal with mermaids</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catscull_in_the_sky/pseuds/Catscull_in_the_sky'>Catscull_in_the_sky</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Tails of the sea [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Human Eren Yeager, Human Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), I’ll add tags as I go, Levi/Eren Yeager-centric, M/M, Marine Biologist Hange Zoë, Mermaids, mermaid eren, mermaid levi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:47:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,331</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25657711</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catscull_in_the_sky/pseuds/Catscull_in_the_sky</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Marine Biologist Hange who specializes in mermaids, has been tracking a mermaid she named Eren for months.</p><p>When he gets separated from his pod, Hange stays to make sure he’s alright. But what’s that dark patch in the water . . . ?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Levi/Eren Yeager, Moblit Berner/Hange Zoë</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Tails of the sea [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1860760</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>231</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Up close and personal with mermaids</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hange watched patiently as the a timid mer she’d been tracking for months came to the surface.</p><p> He gracefully glided through the water, splashing and playing. It was rare to find a mer who wasn’t scared of boats, but it was probably due to the playful nature typically displayed by tropical mers that helped settle his nerves. It didn’t hurt that tropical mers were more surface dwelling than any other subspecies.</p><p>He was a beautiful creature really. With his ombré scales that faded from aquamarine to very subtle turquoise, scaling up to his naval. He had long fins on both of his hips, acting as propellers as well as blades, helping him cut through the water. His tail was extremely powerful as well— it had to be, to swim and catch prey. He had small gills, three slits on either side of his neck. The oddest thing about him, to Hange’s delight, was that his ears were exactly like humans.</p><p>He made a few clicking noises, and when she didn’t see any mers from his pod emerge she assumed he had been separated. This wasn’t exactly good for a tropical mer, since they usually traveled in groups of thirty to fifty members. Living on the surface gave them advantages. They were safe from certain angles, not having to look up to check for predators. There were also people on the shore willing to save injured mers, so medical treatment was available. But the disadvantages were staggering. They didn’t have claws as sharp as other subspecies, nor any protective jutting bones or encasings. And because of their friendly nature, they could be easily taken advantage of. Many tropical mers were kidnapped by people with questionable morals and sold in sex trafficking or sold like objects for people with private collections to hoard.</p><p>A lone tropical mer was usually a death sentence. But Hange would rather stop researching forever than let one die under her supervision.</p><p>Her boat drifted closer. She’d refrain from intervening at the moment, but if something endangered her mer, she’d quickly put into action her safety protocol plan. It included nets and a tank of water she had installed under her boat. She had tranquilizer darts as well, to calm a particularly fussy mer.</p><p>Though, she didn’t think anything would need to be used. The mer seemed content to be alone for a while, and didn’t seem to be scared of being separated. His pod would return for him soon, Hange concluded. He must’ve known this.</p><p>The mer she dubbed Eren, clicked a cooed a few more times, swimming in circles, catching air bubbles in his mouth and even jumping fully out of the water. Hange got the brunt of his blast of cold water, but she couldn’t help the zealous feeling that took over her. She was ecstatic!</p><p>She quickly called for Moblit, her assistant and lover. He joined her side quickly, carrying a towel and net.</p><p>“What happened?” He pried worriedly, patting at her hair. It was sopping, dripping onto her clothes. Strands clung to her skin like a baby to its mother.</p><p>Hange giggled and pointed at the mermaid playing on the surface, rolling in the waves. Moblit sighed. He’d thought there had been an emergency. It turned out, Hange Just couldn’t contain herself when it came to her research.</p><p>“Isn’t he majestic? Look at the way he plays! I bet he’s trying to entertain us!” She beamed, leaping from one foot to the other.</p><p>Moblit sat the net aside. Then he was behind her, wrapping the towel around her neck. He pulled her goggles out of his pocket, stealing her glasses and replacing them with the goggles. He wipes away the condensation on her glasses before tucking them away.</p><p>Hange smiled at him. “What would I do without you?”</p><p>Moblit chuckled. “Probably starve.” He went inside, only to come out with a nicely preserved sand which. “You forgot to eat lunch again.” He reminded.</p><p>“Ah,” she responded, wasting no time and shoving it into her mouth, devouring it whole.</p><p>Moblit let out yet another sigh. Hange really had no etiquette at all, but that’s why he loved her. If Hange wasn’t a crazy, sloppy workaholic, then who was she?</p><p>Hange and Moblit’s attention was drawn back to the water when the mer made a distressed call. He was circling around in the water, much like a frightened dolphin would, and continued to let out high pitched clicks. They noticed a dark spot in the water growing larger. It was approaching from the deep, right beside where the mer was swimming.</p><p>Hange turned around to ask Moblit for the net, but by the time the words formed on her tongue, it was being pressed into her palm. He nodded, a serious expression crossing her face.</p><p>Later, Hange told herself she’d thank Moblit for his help.</p><p>She pressed her abdomen against the end of the boat, net clutched in her hand, ready to toss.</p><p>The dark spot looked beneath the mer, growing in size as it approached from the depth. They waited. And waited.</p><p>Something poked its head above water. Hange made out a patch of hair, dark as pitch. And a pair of piercing eyes, that bore into her face. She had to blink for a split second. The gaze of whatever was lurking was intense.</p><p>The mer stalled, coming to stop. He too looked mildly uncomfortable with the stare of the creature.</p><p>The thing pulled its head above the waves, and Hange gasped. “Moblit. Moblit!” She cried. “Get the camera. I think it’s a mer!”</p><p>The dark haired mer cooed softly, in a low and silky voice. Hange noticed the other mer relax a little. She wondered what they were saying.</p><p>Eren swam a few laps around the strange mer and sniffed, but didn’t approach. The dark haired mer rolled onto its back, leaving its belly facing the sun.</p><p>Hange grabbed her notebook which was beside her on a bench, and flipped through it. She searched until she found the right page.</p><p>Her notes showed that some mer subspecies were known to be violent in nature. Specifically deep sea mers, trench mers and twilight mers. This was because of the conditions they lived in. Twilight mers were constantly fighting for food, since it was scarce at the very bottom of the ocean. Trench mers has rituals where they fought for the right the mate. And only the strongest at this ritual got mates. And deep sea mers hunted sharks. To survive, they’re mothers would often attack them, in order to prepare for them to leave their nests.</p><p>All of these mers shared two things in common. One, they were loners, so this mer was alone for sure. And two, as a sign of nonaggression towards more peaceful mers, these subspecies would often upturn their stomachs, which were their most vulnerable spots.</p><p>Hange found it fascinating and endearing how this mer put his trust in one he’d never met before (probably, Hange never really knew).</p><p>Falling in love with the peacefulness of the mer, she decided to name him Levi.</p><p>He had milkt skin like a ghosts, and piercing gunmetal eyes that complemented the pitch color of his hair. His scales were an iridescent navy blue. At certain angles you could also see forest green, like an everglade.</p><p>Hange took note of the way he was built. He appeared to have a small tail than Eren, and was quite, having only made one chirp since appearing from below. His claws were long and sharp, reminding her of his gaze, which seemed to cut through her like a knife. He also had pointy teeth. She noticed bones jutting out and encasing around his form, ending a few inches short of his bellybutton.</p><p>This meant he was a twilight mer. They usually had a long backbone attached outside of their body. It was connected to their backbone, and acted like a shell our outer casing. Or to simply put it, it was a second ribcage.</p><p>Moblit snapped a few pictures and Hange was over the moon. This was one of the first documented sightings of twilight mers in person. They never came to the surface. Ever. The sunlight wasn’t too good on their eyes, which were accustomed to the dark. Hange took note of the way Levi’s pupils were in slits, and Eren’s were large and circular.</p><p>Eren whined and whimpered when Levi opened his mouth and revealed his razor like teeth. He dashed for a rock jutting from the water and slithered up it. His tail flailed against the slippery rock.</p><p>Levi sat upright and swam over to the rock, reaching out to touch Eren’s tail. The moment his claw scratches against the others fin he screeched and pulled away. Eren curled around the rocks edge, looking much like the little mermaid. He was just a little less thrilled to be there.</p><p>Levi yelped at the boy, unable to pull himself up to the rock to follow him. Something told Hange Levi didn’t understand that Eren was afraid of him.</p><p>Giving up on climbing up, Levi circled Eren’s rock a few times. He splashed around. Hange smiled. He was mimicking tropical mermaid casual play. Had he seen Eren playing before and wanted to join?</p><p>Hange licked at the remnants of her sandwich that had gotten stuck between her teeth. She waited as Levi played and Eren shut his eyes, slumped against the rock.</p><p>She ended up waiting almost three hours for something to change. Levi had dove back into the water a half and hour ago, and hadn’t returned. Eren panted you on the rock. He’d have to get back in the water soon or else he’d dry up.</p><p>The waves crashes lazily against the boat, rocking it gently. Hange check her watch. They’d been at this for three and a half hours. She reckoned Eren only had a few more minutes before he’d cave in and go back into the sea. The dryness of his skin must have been irritating.</p><p>Levi re-emerged soon after, a fish in his mouth. It squirmed, flapping. It’s tail slapped against Levi’s face and he bit down and shook it. It either ignored the pain or wasn’t aware of it because it kept squirming.</p><p>Eren looked down at him with droopy eyes. His tongue was hanging out of his mouth. He panted, and then laid back down.</p><p>Hange watched as Levi’s brows furrowed. He bit the fish in half in one bite, spitting it out onto the surface. The head bobbed in the water. He didn’t care though. He swam up to the rock and rolled onto his back. Hange thought he might try signaling to the mer again but instead he flapped his tail hard against the surface, down and then swung it up. It sprayed water everywhere. Hange got soaked, but she didn’t care. What was happening before her was too amazing.</p><p>Levi was using his tail as a sort of fan, but instead of wafting air Eren’s way, he drenched the mer in water. Eren flipped onto his back in order to catch water on his stomach. He cooed, flashing a toothy grin.</p><p>Hesitantly then, he slid into the water.</p><p>Levi was waiting with a fish head. Eren took it, cooing and chomping down on it. They ate together, and Levi nibbles on Eren’s shoulder a while later.</p><p>Eren’s tan skin flushed red around his shoulders, and his lips glossed. He got up onto the rock and hauled Levi up there with him.</p><p>Levi got on top of him and and Eren whimpered. A solid tentacle like object appeared from a slit on Levi’s front. An identical slot opened up on Eren’s body then, and the tentacle crawled inside.</p><p>Eren moaned.</p><p>Moblit grabbed her abruptly, dragging her under their canopy and sitting by the engine. He smiled sheepishly at her, face flushed. “Let’s let them have their privacy.”</p><p>She gaped at him. “But— but i need to document this! Barely anyone ever gets to see mers mating— even less a tropical mer and twilight mer!” She yelled, dashing for the deck. Moblit caught her wrist at the last second.</p><p>“Just a few minutes then. They’re mating on that rock, right? That means every year they will come back to that exact spot to mate again. Isn’t that cool? We know the mating spot for a twilight mer.”</p><p>Hange giggles zealously. “Your right! I suppose they can have a little privacy. But when they’re done, I wanna analyze Eren!”</p><p>Moblit smiled lovingly up at Hange as she ranted about all the things she wanted to discover. He was glad he fell in love with her. So, so glad.</p><p>As Hange scribbled away in her journal, Moblit listened for the sounds of the mers. They hadn’t made any erotic sounds a few minutes, so he left Hange to her devices and went to check on the mers.</p><p>He found them curled against each other on the rock, Eren’s eyes half lidded. Levi was purring against him. They’re tails were intertwined.</p><p>Hange appeared beside him, and it took all of his self control not to jump and scream. Her eyes were wide and sparkling, like the scales of the two mers against the sunlight.</p><p>He put a finger up to his lips, and she punched him in the shoulder. She went and sat on a bench next to the railing. There she sketched the two for a few hours.</p><p>When the two newly mates mers woke up, they slid into the water with loud chirps and excited noises.</p><p>“Ah, I wish I could have gotten the tracking chips for Levi.” Hange whined.</p><p>Moblit sat next to her, admiring the drawing of the two mers. The soft curves of Eren and the sharp edges of Levi. “His name is Levi?” He asked. She nodded.</p><p>He said, “we always have next year.”</p><p>“Yeah,” she leaned her head against his shoulder. “Your right, again.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I tried really hard to finish this. I really have no problem writing stories except for the part when I can never create an ending. I just like the idea of characters stories continuing, and I don’t like leaving things vague. So I really had to force myself to end this fic, mostly because I wanted Hange to interact with Eren a bit more. I also wanted to go into detail about what happened afterwards, but I think leaving it the way it was, was a good choice. But I honestly don’t know. Please let me know what you think. I will ALWAYS take constructive criticism. So don’t hold back! Let me know how I can improve, what I’ve already succeeded at doing, and what I suck at.</p><p>Over all, I hope you guys enjoyed, and I’ll try to write another story, or release a chapter for the stories sitting in my collection right now, heehee. </p><p>Bye bye! :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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